Saturday, October 18, 2008

Regional Recipes Round-up #1: Greece!

It's round-up time and we're going to Greece!

As I’ve said, Greece is at the top of my list of vacation destinations. I imagine warm weather, relaxing days at the beach, dining al fresco. If your imagination needs a little help, check out Wandering Chopsticks' posts about her travels to Corfu and neighboring islands. The pictures alone are enough to take you there.

Of course there’s also the food! Why Greek food is so under represented here in the States is baffling. We love Italian food and Middle Eastern food, but some how Greece got lost. It’s a wonderful cuisine, showing the influence of its neighbors yet distinct in its own right. Take a look at the submissions:

Giouvarlakia from [eatingclub] vancouver. A classic Greek meatball soup seasoned with fresh parsley and dill and finished off with a lemon and egg mixture to thicken the soup. Just give me a piece of crusty bread for dipping, and I’m set. Perfect for taking the chill off these cold autumn days.

Greek lamb burgers from Columbus Foodie. Move over beef! This is lamb seasoned with fresh mint and oregano, then topped with tzatziki and black olive mayonnaise. If you're not yet a fan of lamb, this is sure to convert you!

Little shoes from me. Eggplant “shoes” stuffed with lamb, seasoned with fresh parsley, mint and garlic, then topped with creamy béchamel. A delicious and fun presentation!

I think you’ll agree, these were great entries. Thank you so much to all who participated! And did you notice a theme (besides being Greek :-)? Each one of these dishes is a hearty, family-friendly meal. The perfect way to introduce your family (and yourself) to Greek cuisine.

Now, I’m sure you’re all dying to know where we’re going next, right? It was a hard choice. I mean, there are a million places I’d love to visit and to have to narrow it down to just one? In the end, I chose JAPAN, land of the rising sun.

I hope you’ll join in! Read more about the rules here. Don’t worry, it’s a very short list! Wandering Chopsticks will be hosting this time. Please send submissions to her by midnight, November 15th at wanderingchopsticks(at)gmail(dot)com. If you would like to host in the future, please contact me and I'll put you on the list.

Great round-up! We all made different recipes. Somehow, I was afraid there'd be overlap. Great pick for our next place to explore. I've got a great recipe for Japan that's been sitting for way too long in my queue.

Sorry I wasn't able to participate-- my trip to LA (and the insane studying in the days leading up to it) threw a wrench in my plans :( Hopefully next time I will be able to (I envision Kaiseki-level dishes. Ho ho ho!). Yes, these were indeed delicious, hearty entries!

Ning, spreading the word is the hardest part. And I'm not particularly good at "advertising". Hopefully, as more people participate it will get more attention. I do hope you'll participate next time. The more the merrier!

Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. I can certainly say I'm a convert on these pumpkin muffins. I'll have to try more recipes with pumpkin to state wether or not I will be a pumpkin lover in future!!Ow and I love all the food here, looks delicious!!